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Marilyn Monroe Born on June 1st 1926 in Los Angeles with the name Norma Jean she has become a well know icon of our time. When you first think of Marilyn Monroe some of the most popular words or phrases that come to mind are: sex symbol, blond, curvy, divorced, suicide, celebrity actress, beautiful, and legend, just to name a few. One of the most famous actresses of the 1950’s she epitomized all that women wanted to be or at least what had never been displayed before. Her sex appeal and racy actions had her as one of the most sought after entertainers. To this day her legacy is still read about and talked about, but not many people know the true Marilyn Monroe or the actions she had to take to become the starlet we all saw. On June 1, 1926 little Norma Jeane Mortensen, Marilyn’s real name, was born in Los Angeles to Gladys Baker. Ms. Baker met her Marilyn’s dad at paramount pictures where they worked together, or at least that’s what Gladys said. Norma was raised by single parent Gladys, until she became sick and was put in a mental hospital. Norma than bounced from foster home to foster home. Till the age of seven Marilyn stayed with a strictly religious family, but was than transported to many families were she would eventually get kicked out due to the fact her body was far beyond her years. As a young adult she was molested by one of her foster fathers. By the age of fourteen her mother’s best friend Grace McKee took her in. Grace was the first person to emphasize to Marilyn that she was beautiful and should be and actress, which is were her love of all things Hollywood really started. By the age of fifteen Marilyn was face with the decision to get married or go to another orphanage because Grace’s husband was taking too much of a like to Marilyn. So on June nineteenth 1942 Marilyn was married to James Dougherty a twenty one year old soldier who lived next door. Just as all her dreams of being famous seemed impossible working at an assembly line Marilyn was picked to be pictured in “Yank” magazine. So on April 26, 1926 David Connover, the photographer that spotted her, put her on the cover of “Family Circle” and on June 26th she became a cover girl on “Yank” Magazine. From there things started happening for her in a quick succession. Before Marilyn let her career get to big she was granted a divorce form Jimmy Dougherty on September 13th 1946. In 1948 she signed with Columbia Pictures and made her first movie. With little star success Marilyn learned what all movie stars knew, sleep with whoever can further your career she’s even gone as far as saying, “ In Hollywood a girl's virtue is much less important than her hairdo. You're judged by how you look, not by who you are. Hollywood's a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss, and fifty cents for your soul. I know, because I turned down the first offer often enough and held out the fifty cents.”(Quotes) Johnny Hyde became her love interest and with all his influence in the film industry he promised to guide her career. Hyde was a senior partner at William Morris and convinced the director of “All About Eve,” and “The Asphalt Jungle,” to give her roles. With all his money though Marilyn wouldn’t marry Johnny. Marilyn was too much in love with him to marry him so when he died she was left with nothing and had to move to the next guy. Elia Kazan was Marilyn’s next conquest, but he refused to put her in “A Street car Named Desire.” Marilyn ended their affair and moved on to Arthur Miller who left her for his wife. Marilyn finally scored a movie with top billing called, “Clash by Night.” Marilyn also had parts in “Monkey Business,” and “Don’t Bother To Knock,” when the Hollywood press announced Marilyn had posed for a nude calendar. As the story released many thought her career was over. Luckily her public adored her enough that a previous story called “The Greatest Cinderella Story in Hollywood,” left more of and impression on them and they felt bad for the orphaned girl that only made fifty dollars for the calendar. The next chapter in Marilyn’s life could only be described the Joe days. Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn met on a blind date. Upon meeting him Marilyn said, “There’s a blue polka dot in the middle of your tie knot. Did it take you long to fix it just that way?”(Leaming 43) From than on the two were inseparable. Dating here and there Marilyn still kept contact with Kazan and finally got a role she could shine in. As the lead in “Niagara” Marilyn gave a dramatic flare to Rose Loomis a crazed cheating wife set out to kill her husband. Just as her career seemed to finally set her off the New York Post wrote and article exposing her institutionalized mother as alive and not dead like Marilyn had previously suggested. Marilyn’s response was, “My close friends know that my mother is alive.”(Leaming 57) As she dodged this bullet she was cast as the leading lady in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” She worked night and day with Natasha Lyness her acting teacher and even had her spend the night and her house. Invited to the Photoplay awards Marilyn mad at her mother for calling her a slut selected a see through diamond sparkled dress that was paper thin. At the awards men hollered while actress Joan Crawford announced, “It was like a burlesque show.”(Leaming 72) Gentlemen prefer blondes made over 6 million dollars, and led Marilyn to another role in “How to Marry a Millionaire.” She starred alongside Hollywood greats, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall. Soon after filming started Marilyn learned her place at Fox was to take over Grable’s position as a leading lady in the movie industry. After the movie Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn at San Francisco’s city hall on January 14, 1954. On their honeymoon in Tokyo Marilyn took time out to do a show at the USO for the troops. Over 60,000 men hollered for the temptress, causing Joe to frown with all the attention she got. Back at home she started the film “there’s no Business Like Show Business.” After that film was done she played a single girl living next to a married man alone in his house trying to avoid cheating on his wife when in comes blond bombshell Marilyn. This film was called, “The Seven Year Itch.” This comedy’s photo shoot was accredited with the fall of Marilyn’s marriage to baseball great, Joe DiMaggio. Over 2000 spectators attended that famous white dress shot. Amateur photographers and professional photographers made a killing off that one day of shooting. When Joe arrived to the shoot he was greatly disappointed at Marilyn’s sexy scene. Joe finally had to accept the fact that his bride wanted to be a star not a housewife, or at least not a mother anytime soon. In the fall of that same year to two separated, and 9 months later on October 27, 1954 Marilyn announced their divorce saying, “When I married him, I wasn’t sure why I married him, I have too many fantasies about being a housewife.”(Biography) In 1955 eager to start being taken seriously by her fans and the film industry she moved to the big apple and started being tutored by movie great Lee Strasberg, who owned his own actors studio. In 1956 hoping to have more control over the types of roles she played Marilyn started her own production company called Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her first film under her wing was “the Prince and the Showgirl,” filmed in London where she rekindled her love affair with playwright Arthur Miller. One year after her departure form Hollywood she returned to start filming on Bus Stop her second production. In the same year she officially changed her name to Marilyn Monroe forever losing the name Norma Jean. Finishing her latest movie she met up with Arthur Miller and married him in a Jewish ceremony on June 29, 1956. Arthur commented on Marilyn by saying, “Her beauty and humanity shine through, she is the kind of artist one does not come on every day of the week,”(Quotes CMG) In 1958 dependant on drugs and depressed with her marriage Marilyn hooked up with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis to play in the comedy Some Like It Hot. This funny movie landed her a Golden Globe for best actress on March 8, 1960. Her next movie was Let’s Make Love staring French movie star Yves Montand. With this movie also came a public love affair between Montand and Marilyn, this finally throwing in the towel in her marriage to Miller. Life started spinning out of control for the great actress and she went to a psychologist for treatment on her drug addiction. At the same time Miller introduced a role to Marilyn in the movie the Misfits, which he had made especially for her. So in July of 1960 Marilyn started shooting. At this time her marriage consisted of two people living in separate quarters, and before the premiere of the Misfits, the two resolved to end their marriage. In 1961 with reports of an affair with John F. Kennedy Marilyn attended his Birthday gala in 1962 and sang the now famous Happy birthday Mr. President. During a time of turmoil with the speculated affair Marilyn signed on to star in “Something’s Got to Give”. Extremely depressed and sick she missed shooting days and often showed up late, until fox fired her. Marilyn started seeing old flame Joe DiMaggio and finally Fox forgave her and signed her to another contract. On August 1st she started filming again on “Something’s Got to Give.” At 36-years old the shining star died in her Brentwood California home. As a Hollywood legend from the past it’s amazing that she’s still one of the greats today. Her legacy just shows the average person that anything’s possible no matter where you come from or how much you don’t have. With all of the questions surrounding her untimely death there have been no concrete facts suggesting that she died a murderous death. Are the Kennedy’s to blame? Nobody knows for sure, but all I know is she’s an icon that will live forever in her fans hearts.